AGS - Academy for Gifted Students
by SilverDawn2010
Summary: Only those with special abilities are allowed to study here, but the powers that be have sinister plans for the students. Rouge is investigating, Espio is hiding, Sonic thinks school is lame, Tails seeks acceptance, Silver is overwhelmed, Blaze is burdened, Amy misses home, and Knux...doesn't exist? Everyone's in love, but never with the same person, and never in the same way...
1. A Selfish Hope

G.U.N. 's Academy for Gifted Students

* * *

Chapter 1: Selfish Hope

* * *

 **BLAZE**

* * *

"Fire is many things. Beautiful. Powerful. Destructive. Cleansing. Warm…"

My eyes were sealed tight, but that only enhanced the coffee stench from his breath. My nose shriveled in displeasure. Did he have to stand so close? I squinted harder, trying to focus on only one sensation: the warmth traveling up and down my arms, from my toasty fingertips to the flames rising off my shoulders. Heat tickled at my torso, but I fought it - the goal today was only to set _part_ of myself on fire.

"Just as fire is a versatile force of nature, you can be as well. While traditionally a symbol of chaos, you have the potential to put it in order. You have control of it. Just remember it needs three things to survive: ignition, fuel, and oxygen…"

The low growl that emitted from the back of my throat was involuntary. I hated how he lectured me with facts I've known since I was born. I'd memorized the chemistry of my curse out of necessity. Maybe my fur was fireproof, but the world was not. I'd learned that very quickly.

"Control - " his coffee stench nearly made me gag, and I opened my eyes as the flames on my palms sizzled to nothing. I curled my fists in annoyance as the heat evaporated, leaving me with cool gloves; I placed them on my hip.

"You standing right in front of me breaks my concentration."

My instructor smiled smugly, and I wanted to burn the mustache off his cheeky smirk. "That is precisely why I do it, Blaze. Do you think your enemy will be silent, let you focus, and give you time to concentrate? Of course not. You take one extra moment to focus and you will be dead. You're thinking too much - be in tune with your body and not so much your head."

"That's not how my powers work. As much as you lecture me about it, you have no idea."

"I know you can do better, princess."

My neck fur rose at the title. I don't know why he mocked me with it, everyone knew my kingdom was gone. It was the whole reason I was here. I turned my back on him, pulling my fireproof gloves further up my arm.

"We need you to be faster."

I said nothing, holding my tongue to the roof of my mouth. Speed, of course. That's all the teachers here wanted more of. I knew I was no replacement for who they really wanted. Sonic the Hedgehog. The Academy's obsession and desperation to recruit Sonic were well documented. Of course, the blue hedgehog had constantly evaded capture and refused to join, I couldn't say I blamed him. If not for my responsibilities I wouldn't be here either.

I began gathering my things, stuffing them in the small canvas bag I brought with me.

"We're not finished yet."

I sprinted out the door, part of me wanting to show him the speed he so wanted. "I am."

"Your highness!"

Remaining quiet, I entered the hallway to head back to the "female" boarding room. I write that word with quotes since gender roles are not strictly segregated here. Which is fine by me, since I have never really felt like one or the other. Myself and the two other girls share one large room, and two currently enrolled males share another. But due to a romantic relationship, the couple often sleeps together, leaving the remaining three of us to share a room.

One loud hedgehog voice reached my ears long before I made it to my bunk.

"Why is he late? He's never late…"

I suppressed an eyeroll as I opened the door, but could not suppress my inner turmoil at the sight I was greeted to: Silver and Amy sitting together on his bed. In concert with my heart, sparks began forming on my wrists, and no amount of measured breathing could calm me. The gray hedgehog stared longingly at the pink one, but her attention was firmly fixed on the world outside. The setting sun meant her chance at seeing her idol was nearly up.

"Amy, you've been staring out that window for half an hour. I thought you said we were going to study together?" Silver whined softly.

I couldn't bring myself to look at him. I had to control myself. As much as I wanted to admire his metallic fur and stylish quills - as much as I wanted to run my fingers through that chest fluff - I couldn't. Control. My emotions had gotten me sidetracked too many times, and I didn't want to burn the room down out of desire and jealousy. Emotions were my weakness, which is why I did all I could to contain them.

Unfortunately neither hedgehog were subtly quiet, nor seemed to notice my entrance at all. However, as I unpacked my things from the lesson, I did notice Rouge was hanging from the ceiling, playing on her phone. How she found that position comfortable was beyond me (she was a bat after all), but I was more surprised she hadn't gone to see her boyfriend at this late hour.

"He's late," Amy continued to pout. She held her chin in her hands, her booted legs swinging from side to side off the edge of the bed. "He always runs by my window at this time on Wednesdays. Always. Where is he?"

"You're the only one who thinks Sonic is actually predictable," Silver teased her.

"He _is_ predictable! And I know, just know, that he's going to see me tonight. Even if it will be slightly different this time..."

"You actually think you're a fortune teller," Rouge muttered from above, not removing her eyes from her phone screen.

"I _am_ a fortune teller," Amy said, and reached into her pocket for her tarot cards. "Want me to tell your future?"

The bat shrugged. "I love you, Rose, but we both know you're not here for any special abilities, but because you're the only one who can find Sonic," Rouge said. She did a flip from the ceiling to land on her feet, pocketing her phone. She smirked as she said her next words. "And _lure_ him here."

"Hey, at least she _has_ powers." I heard Silver speak in defense of Amy.

I shouldn't have glanced at him. Shouldn't have raised my eyes in his direction. I blame it on my innate curiosity due to being a feline. But that look in his shiny golden eyes, so innocent and pure - it tore me apart. I'd known Silver his whole life and he never looked at me like that. Not once had I seen that tenderness for me.

I am the only reason Silver is here. I was the first to believe in him, to find him, to protect him. Both of our worlds crumbled when my kingdom fell, and all we'd had was each other. _Had_. Now that we were both assigned to the academy, Silver had others now. I'd always been afraid to leave him on his own… turns out he didn't need me so much after all. I don't know why that hurt so much, but it gutted me each time he chose to spend time with Amy over me. All I'd done for him, all I'd sacrificed, all the times we shared apparently meant nothing. He fell in love with the first girl he'd seen here, and I was immediately forgotten.

I'd never thought much about love until… until I realized I'd never had it, and the one who had my heart had given his away. Worst thing was, it was to someone who was pining after another.

But I digress. Perhaps I'm in my head too much again.

"So Blaze, how was training?"

Everyone was looking at me, and I blinked to bring my mind back to reality. Rouge had asked me a question. "Same as always."

"Well, now that you're back to supervise these two, I'm headed to bed. Night darlings."

The bat started to head out the door, but paused before crossing the hall. I was alone with both hedgehogs, neither of whom had said a word to me. Perhaps for the best. I just wish I didn't have to listen to their "playful banter" while I tried to relax. Where were my headphones…. Did I leave them in my bag?

Silver spoke, and I had to train my ears away from his direction. "I'd ask you to explain how you chart Sonic's movements to the constellations, but then we'd never get our calculus finished."

"I'm already finished with mine," Amy said.

"Then why did you want to study with me?'

"I said, after I see Sonic we can."

I was irate, and I couldn't find my music. I mumbled under my breath. "For a fortune teller you're quite bad at it."

Amy finally turned to look at me, her pixie features scrunching. But before she could say anything to me -

"Oh look, there he is!" Rouge shouted from the doorway, and Amy spun to the window, only to droop at Rouge's laughter.

"Aw, leave her alone," Silver said.

"Yeah, guys… it may sound pathetic, okay, really pathetic, but this is the highlight of my week, okay? Let me have this."

"Hm. If you need me I'll be with my actual boyfriend," Rouge said, and finally left the room. She slammed the door across the hall.

"Sonic _is_ my boyfriend… or he will be…"

My headphones. Finally. I slipped them in my ears, sighing with relief as piano melodies filled my head. Still, I couldn't close my eyes, as I, too, was fixated on the darkening world outside. I'd barely gotten into my second song when a shooting star sped across the ground, leaving a streak of blue and a boom of thunder in his wake. There.

I had no feelings for Sonic, had only met him a few times, but knowing he was out there gave me some inexplicable hope. Perhaps a selfish hope that he'd steal Amy away from Silver and things could go back to how they were between us.

But hope all the same.

* * *

 **ROUGE**

* * *

"Babe?"

Our room was silent, but that was almost expected when you have the boyfriend I do. I looked at the ceiling, no. Each of the bunks was empty. Was he playing tricks on me again? I smiled a bit. I had more than a few tricks up my own sleeve. I began slipping out of my robe, revealing my tank top and shorts underneath. If he could see me, he'd soon be blushing and I could find him.

"Not tonight, Rouge."

Of course, I heard his voice before he appeared. His invisibility faded, leaving the deep purple chameleon sitting cross legged on the nearest bunk.

"Aww, were you meditating?" I slipped my robe back on and sat next to him.

"Trying. But you are an amazing distraction," Espio smiled slyly at me.

He gently took my face to pull me closer for a kiss, caressing my ears as well as my lips. I couldn't deny that I was aching for some attention, and his cool skin was just what I was craving. Meditation called for his heat lamp to be off, so his scales were perfectly chilly. I brought my hand to his chest, tracing his heart-shaped birthmark, and the warmth-cool contrast gave me tingles all over.

"Mmph," he pulled from my lips, and my heart fell. "Let's just cuddle tonight. I already have a headache from trying to focus so much today."

"Alright," I agreed and pulled away. We got under the down comforter together, his arms holding me close. "I wanted to ask you something anyway."

"Okay." Espio agreed, and looked me deep in the eyes.

"It's not that serious," I said, and reached over to the bedside table to grab my phone. "When you were a detective, did you ever hear of the Master Emerald?" I scrolled through a few pictures and showed him a few.

"Yes. It's a myth."

I propped up my head with a left hand ."I don't think it is. There is proof for it everywhere. Ancient texts, and we still haven't explored every inch of the Mystic Ruins. Archaeologists found an altar recently, and it was large enough to hold several hundred of the chaos emeralds, so it couldn't be for them."

Espio remained expressionless. "Rouge, my agency searched for it for years. We had to conclude it never existed. There is no Controller of the Chaos Emeralds, that's why they're called 'chaos.' Nothing can control them, nothing is more powerful.

"And the proof that Echidnas existed -"

" _If_ they existed, they're extinct. And they have been a long time."

"But if they're extinct, why have we not found the Emerald? They were the race to protect it and hide it. If they're extinct, the emerald would have been found by now. I know I'm right, Espi."

"What I know, is that you'd like to believe that a giant, beautiful gem exists."

I smirked. "There is that, too."

"I've told you before that material things don't matter. If only you'd listen to me, you could put that smart brain to work on hunting for real treasures and not disproven myths."

"But if we only have one life, then why not live it to the fullest? Why not get all that you can? Why not search out the rarest treasures that you can find? A little belief never hurt anyone."

"You show me a real, live echidna and maybe I'll start to believe in this fairy tale."

I smiled and cuddled close to him again. "Why would I need an echidna when I have you?"

"Hmph - romantic, but I know you. And I know what echidnas used to look like. They're absolute units. I bet you'd run off with the first one you saw and leave me behind as soon as you could."

I pouted. "Not fair. Besdires, I'm pretty sure their tongues aren't as long as yours is~" I smiled and kissed him again, my tongue entering his mouth.

Truth is, though, as we made out - my mind we elsewhere. As nice as Espio was at kissing, I knew he was hiding something from me. The Chaotix were called to research the history of the Master Emerald, and while I had helped myself to a copy of their official report to the government, not everything added up.

Yes, the good 'ol "sleep with a guy to get information from him". May seem low, but it's what I do. I'm good at it, and it's not beneath me. It hasn't failed me yet.

My hands explored him, I went through the motions, I flirted and kissed, but there was still an emptiness in me. I'd searched the world to uncover hidden gems, thinking each one would fill the void inside, but nothing ever did. No man, no woman, no data, no object could satiate me. Would I forever be searching and hunting for something to satisfy me? Was that my fate?

I was damn good at what I did, enough to get GUN's attention. "If you can't beat em join em" was a false choice. How about both. I've beaten GUN plenty of times but I know from the inside I have more access to information. That's all I've wanted. And that's why I'm here. Not for Espio, or Sonic, or any individual but myself. I will find the Master Emerald no matter what I have to subject myself to to do so.

* * *

 **TAILS**

* * *

Another day; another trip to the mailbox in anticipation. Another hope, another dream, another possibility. As I flew outside to check my mail, I was struck with minor philosophical thoughts, I blame it on the hazy atmosphere. I have everything I need and I shouldn't complain. Perhaps I shouldn't ask or hope for anymore. I have a workshop, a plane, a best friend; my life was nearly perfect.

Just two things weren't. Two huge, important things that kept me from being happy.

One, well… despite how good I am at electronics and engineering, I'd never really been noticed by any local schools. All of my online geeky friends had gotten several recruitment letters, enough that they had to choose between the best schools. But me, not a one. You'd think that saving the world countless times would be enough for me to get instantly accepted. But I guess just being Sonic's sidekick wasn't enough for them. I'd sent in so many resumes, especially to AGS - GUN's Academy for Gifted Students - but it was the same result each time.

"You're not what we're looking for. You don't quite have the skillset needed. You don't qualify."

It doesn't matter how they word it, it all reads the same to me. I wasn't enough. Not on my own. I had to be put next to Sonic to have anyone even recognize me.

So you may wonder why it matters, if my life is so perfect, then who needs school? Sonic tells me that all the time. But in my field, if I ever want to get a job, I have to land at a top school. It's one thing to build airplanes and basic robots, but I could do so much more interesting stuff with resources and funding. So that's why this matters to me so much.

And I don't know why I thought this time, as I opened my mailbox and saw this letter, would be different. I had "a feeling" I suppose, but everyone knows you can't trust a hunch. I'd gotten my hopes up when I saw AGS printed on the envelope, but I'd opened it to the same words I'd gotten over and over. Once again, I wasn't enough.

As I was nursing my latest rejection with some chocolate milk and a video game, Sonic later came by. We live together - as much as Sonic can live anywhere. He's dreamy, you know… he comes and goes how he wants, doesn't let anything stop him or slow him down, he's so confident without a care in the world - I wish I could be like him. I really do. Maybe then I'd actually get into school.

"Hey Tails," he flashed me that heart-melting grin and I felt my cheeks redden at seeing him. I crumpled the letter that was in my hand and hid it behind my back.

"Hey… what's up?"

"Ah, just another day," he said, crossing his arms. "Running from GUN, found another Chaos Emerald, explored a bit more of that desert zone… and then ran into GUN again. They still want to recruit me or something, but I lost 'em easily. Whatcha been up to, lil bro?"

I winced a bit, as I didn't want him to call me that. It felt awkward to me… and it kinda hurt. Yes we'd grown up together and all, but, well…. Number two of things not perfect in my life. Sonic was way more than a brother to me.

No way I could ever tell him. Ever. Sonic was… weird when it came to stuff like this. I've never seen him interested in girls, which gave me a bit of (selfish) hope, but I'd never seen him interested in guys either. Certainly not interested in me, as even if I'd tried to drop hints about my feelings, they just went way over his beautiful head. Was Sonic just immune to romance? He always moved so fast, and while it was awesome, I do wish he'd slow down once in a while and enjoy more calm and simple things. Like going on a date with me, or us holding hands in a context other than me helicoptering us out of danger.

Is it bad that I've daydreamed about us getting in danger just so I could hold his hand….?

"Yo, earth to Tails."

I blushed even more red. "Huh -"

"Whatchu got there - " He'd grabbed the letter out of my hand and had read it even before I'd realized he took it.

"Aw, sorry man… I know how much you want this." He set the crumpled letter back on the counter, giving a sympathetic smile. I shrugged.

"Oh, no big deal." I played with my hands behind my back.

"Ya know… if there's anything I could do to help, I'd do it… right Tails?"

I just nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. He was a good friend. Friend.

"You'll be alright," Sonic patted my back and then headed to another part of our home. "Who needs school anyway?"

I did, and he knew that, Sonic just wanted to make me feel better. But he couldn't, because my feelings for him were getting more intense everyday. Just him coming home was making me blush uncontrollably. He may think he knew what I wanted, but he'd never know what was in my heart for him. One because I'd never tell him, and two because even if I did, I don't think he'd understand exactly what this unrequited love felt like.

How can you if you've always had everything you wanted? Sonic was blessed from the day he was born, and I envied that. If only a bit of that luck would rub off on me. Somehow, though, luck did swing back my way, only a few days later...

* * *

Author Note: Merry Christmas everyone, and welcome to my new project, something different for me. It'll contain a lot of couples I don't normally write about, lots of drama, lots of high-school-esque plots, lots of unrequited love and angst. Sounds awesome, right? Let me know what you think if you'd like. :)


	2. Outside Influences

_DaDweebKing, NeckBreak, and Saltwater January: Thanks for your reviews~_

* * *

Chapter 2: Outside Influences

* * *

 **AMY**

Warmth caressed the back of my eyelids as I leaned into Sonic's arms. I had my eyes closed because I didn't care where on the planet we were, where we were going, what time of day it was… I wanted nothing distracting me from the dreamy hedgehog holding me close to his heart, as if I were a treasure worth protecting.

"Amy~"

I loved the way he spoke my name, I loved how he held me close and ran his heart out, I loved how the world around us ceased to matter. I loved everything about being with Sonic.

"I only stop running for you~"

He whispered, and while the wind in my quills ceased, the world was still spinning around me. Caused by my pounding heart, slamming against my chest as it reached out desperately for the other heart so close to it. Mere thin layers of clothes and skin separated our hearts, and I could feel his reaching for mine with just as much need.

Sonic had stopped, searching my eyes with a dreamy gaze. His grip gently tightened around me, fingertips just grazing the back of my head, tilting it upwards.

"You're beautiful~"

The soft and gentle tones of his voice gave me shivers. The chill was such a contrast with the warmth in every part of my body; electric shocks raced up and down my torso. My body, my heart, were all overwhelmed with sensations, one after the other, as his body came even closer to mine…

Our lips brushed, and Sonic whispered a poem of love without speaking a word. I tasted every bit of him as I linked my hands around his neck, pulling him down against me. I was suspended in the air, his arms holding me securely as we kissed and kissed. It was wonderful, and I couldn't be happier -

"Miss Amy Rose?"

I gasped - my daydream instantly broken by a voice that wasn't near hot enough to belong to my crush. I wasn't in Sonic's arms, but a cold chair and table, and the only one holding up my head was myself.

"Would you like to tell us more about the 16 Year's War?"

Reality slapped me in the face, leaving my face flushed red and wishing the floor could swallow me. I could feel the eyes of the class on me, and I sunk into my chair.

"I…." stammers came out of my mouth as I struggled to speak. I pushed my glasses up my face with nervous energy.

I looked down, but my notes were no help. I'd just written Sonic's name over and over, dotting the "i" with little hearts. The red ink looked adorable and I smiled in spite of my situation.

"Well, if you don't know anything about it, why are you daydreaming in the middle of my class?"

"Sorry." I muttered, trying to hide my red face by keeping my eyes lowered. My pencil began glowing teal, also causing my lips to tug into a smile. I side-glanced at Silver, but he kept his eyes trained forward - always a good student. I looked back down to see that he'd drawn a messy heart on my page, without looking. Cute.

The lecture continued, and my mind wandered once again. Even if I tried to pay attention, the jolt back to reality was super depressing. Somewhere outside, Sonic was running around and being a hero, and I was stuck here in school. It wasn't fair, at all. Even if it was a school for "gifted" students, it was still class at the end of the day. We learned about math, history, language, science… and had training sessions for our powers. Mine were mostly hammer drills, because the instructors mostly didn't believe in my supernatural and fortune-telling abilities. I could just tell… the way they smiled and nodded but were internally rolling their eyes at me. No one ever took me seriously, and it was sooo frustrating.

Even though AGS was a newer school, it was still nearly everyone's dream to study here, and for the most part I felt lucky. Not only was this an opportunity I couldn't pass up, and a way to secure my future - I was promised that Sonic also went to school here, which made me instantly sign up. I still remember my first day, looking all cutely dressed up, so eager to see him again after so many years - only to find out Sonic was still being recruited and didn't actually go here at all. I pitched a fit over being lied to, and I'm still pretty angry about it. I'd left my family, my best friend Cream in order to meet my hero, only to be disappointed yet again.

Still,not all was lost. As angry as GUN's lies made me, I still would have chose to study here because I know it's the best chance to meet Sonic again. I'd searched for him on my own and he'd been as elusive as ever, even with my fortune telling powers. To this day no one can catch him. Which honestly made him even more dreamy, if it were possible….

Ah, but my mind was wandering, and eventually class was over, and finally lunch time - I was starving. I clutched my books close to my chest as I walked down the hall, next to Silver. He was pretty much my shadow, but I didn't mind the company. Nearly everyone else who went here was either stuck-up like Blaze, too serious like Espio, or, well, Rouge. Even for a private academy, we didn't have many students.

It was pizza day, so that was something at least! I grabbed my normal pepperoni and took my usual spot.

"What were you thinking about in class?" Silver asked as we sat down.

"Sonic," I mumbled with my mouth full, and noticed Silver visibly slump.

"Yeah, I thought so."

"You can read minds, so why did you ask?" I swallowed and then teased him, hoping to cheer him up. He hadn't even touched his pizza yet.

"You know the future, so why do you worry so much?"

"Touche," I rolled my eyes but smiled.

"If only our powers worked like that, hm."

"Mhm," I agreed with another mouthful of cheese and sauce.

"I really feel like have a lot in common, don't you?"

I just nodded, my mind already wandering. I knew Silver had a crush on me, that much was obvious. And he knew I loved Sonic, always have, always would. We'd never really talked about any of this, but there was kinda an understanding about it all, and that's what made my friendship with Silver so bittersweet. I knew we weren't meant to be together, and yet we had so much in common that we'd be so happy if we were. Sometimes I thought about giving it a try with him, but I couldn't betray Sonic like that. I just knew we were meant to be, and it was a shame Silver and I weren't. A girl should not tempt fate.

Still, I was always nice to Silver; I knew the pain of unrequited love all too well. We could still be friends. Maybe I should play matchmaker to help him find his special someone. He used to be good friends with Blaze, but he rarely talks about her anymore, and I can tell there's some tension there. I've always wondered what happened between them, but no matter how many times I've asked him, Silver doesn't want to talk about it.

"Hey, can I read your love fortune?" The idea came out of my mouth as soon as it went through my head.

The fur around his cheeks started to match my shade. I just smiled kindly and dug thorugh my backpack to pull out my tarot cards. I spread the deck right next to my empty plate.

"Okay, select three cards and leave them face down."

The gray hedgehog blinked, overwhelmed by the choices. "Which cards?"

"Don't worry Silver. Just listen to your heart, and pick whichever ones call to you. Try to think about what you want in a relationship."

His gold eyes studied mine before he descended into a bashful mess. It was super cute, and I had to giggle a bit. Silver raised one hand to pyschokinetically select the three cards closest to me, turning them so they were perfectly perpendicular. The teal light faded, and I unveiled the first card.

"The reversed Empress…." I closed my eyes briefly, waiting for the flicker, that inner voice of my intuition telling me what it meant. They snapped back open as if I were possessed. "You're relying too much on others, you should follow your own heart."

Silver kept betraying his name with his continued blush. I leaned across the table. "What does your heart tell you to do?"

"Th-th-that's the problem, Amy, I don't know. It's easier to just… have others tell me what to do." His gaze left mine to glance sideways at Blaze. The cat was across the room, eating her sandwich in peace, browsing through her phone.

"What happened between you two?" I pressed.

Silver gave himself a hug, rubbing at his own biceps. He wasn't cold, but perhaps nervous? Avoiding eye contact, stuck in his head - I wish he'd just tell me what was bothering him so much.

"What does the second card say?" Silver whispered and activated his powers on it to nudge me to uncover it. I sighed and continued my reading. It was so hard having friends that wouldn't open up to you - but it was better than not having friends at all, right? Once again I thought back to my bestie Cream whom I left behind… if only she could have come with me. She'd know how to be kind and get Silver to open up.

"Hold on," I said, and pulled out my own phone. I typed out a quick text to Cream, just to see what she was up to.

* * *

 **ESPIO**

Chameleons all naturally have what most would consider "fantastic abilities". All of us can change the color of our outer skin to match our surroundings. So when I was offered a position at GUN due to my ability to "turn invisible", I was intrigued. Surely they knew about our innate biology? While it may a difficult thing to master without intense concentration, I still do not believe, to this day, that I would qualify for being a "gifted student".

Either way, this may be of no consequence unless one is naturally curious. I suppose it's to my advantage that most do not understand my abilities; alternatively, if they do understand them, they recruited me to the government agency for another reason. A reason that was enough for me to sign up to figure out what that was. A reason, that, was most likely due to the report on the Master Emerald telling GUN what they didn't want to hear nor believe.

I don't put much stock in hunches, but this one did have some evidence behind it.

Another advantage of my invisibility was that sneaking out of school was child's play. During break periods like the current lunchtime, everyone assumed that if they couldn't find me, I'd just gone invisibile. Rouge, of course, knew I had left (since she was my "girlfriend" and all) but she'd cover for me. But in the meantime, I had an errand to run.

The old plaza parking lot had more pigeons than cars, more trash than open businesses. It wasn't the best nor worst part of town - I think the smell kept away crowds of rich and poor alike. Hurrying across the pavement, I made my way behind the building and knocked on the door labeled with a faded green sign.

"Password."

The raspy voice behind the door was intentionally too deep. I cleared my throat, knowing he could see me. "Vector, open up."

A moment of silence.

"Password."

"I'm not going to say it. I have less than 30 minutes before I have to get back."

"Password."

I sighed. Better to humor him. "Find the computer room."

The door burst open and I entered, shaking my head while stepping over the mess of old pizza boxes that littered the foyer.

"Espio's here!" Charmy looked up from his computer to smile and bob his head at me.

"Hey pal, what brings you back?" boss asked me, his grin as toothy as ever.

"I have news - where's our visitor? You two didn't let him leave, did you?"

"Relax, he's happy as can be in the back room. Definitely not bored out of his mind," Vector said with a sheepish smile.

Charmy huffed, typing away. "He's probably still playing with his rocks. Wait, that didn't sound right - haha!" The bee cackled, and I left Vector and Charmy to their immaturity and headed to the backroom. I had to avoid countless piles of disorganized invoices and papers, but the familiar musty smell put me at ease. I knocked on the open door, trying to get the attention of our guest. The red echidna looked up and met my eyes with a smirk.

"Please tell me you're here to break me out."

"No, sorry."

Knuckles sighed and leaned back in his chair, putting aside the device he was holding to grab at his forehead instead. "Damn it. If you don't want to let me out of my prison, why are you here?"

I crossed my arms, but my voice was was calm. "Knuckles, this is hardly a 'prison' that could hold you. You could fight your way out of here with no effort. The real prison is within your mind; even if you leave this place, you'd be held captive by the fear of failure to live up to your duty. And likely by GUN as well - they're looking for both you and your Emerald."

He rolled his eyes; of course he didn't want to hear the truth. "You done?"

"Vector made a deal with your mother to keep you safe, otherwise none of us will benefit from her will. Therefore we can't let you leave, it's too dangerous for you."

"I know. You three are all about the money. But it doesn't feel right for me to be in hiding."

"You have your emerald pieces, we agreed that we couldn't let them get in the wrong hands."

He opened his gigantic fists to reveal shards of the most powerful gem in the world. Knuckles' sad purple eyes reflected their green sheen. "I'm the guardian of the Master Emerald, not just these pathetic pieces."

"We have a plan. Patience is required while we get our metaphorical pieces in place, including these actual pieces."

The large echidna shook his head. "It doesn't feel right, Espio. For me to be in here doing nothing. Right now pieces are falling into the wrong hands, I can feel it. You said GUN is looking for my Emerald, they probably have several pieces already."

"GUN isn't the only one, which is why I came. To warn you. There is an AGS student, a master jewel thief, who has taken a particular interest in ancient history of the Chaos Emeralds, and is thoroughly convinced the Master Emerald exists."

Knuckles shrugged. "I'm not worried about some thief."

"You should be. This is the most infamous jewel thief in the world."

"Wait, you said he was a student. How does a jewel thief end up as a GUN recruit?"

"First of all, she, not he. And I have my theories. The official story is that she was finally caught and recruited, but I've gotten to know Rouge, and she doesn't make mistakes that would get her caught. There is some other reason she's attending the school. She asked me about our report on the Master Emerald, and given her history I'd say she's a major threat. Which is why I decided to get close to her."

"You've gotten to know her, huh?" Vector and Charmy suddenly poked their heads in.

I let myself smile at them. "Intimately."

Charmy grumbled. "Boss, can I get the field assignment next time…?"

"Quiet. Are you still in contact with Tails?" Vector asked.

Charmy nodded. "Yeah… he told me yesterday he got another rejection letter."

"That's not a surprise," I said, crossing my arms. "We all know there's only one thing that will get Tails into the academy."

"You have a plan for that, too?" Knuckles asked.

"If I knew how to do that I'd be more than a detective," Vector said, shaking his head. "You'd better get back, Espio. Keep an eye on Rouge - that bat might throw a wrench in things."

"Roger that," I nodded at the boss, then turned to our visitor. "Stay out of trouble Knuckles. We will get you that Emerald back, but it'll take more than you trying to punch your way into things."

He huffed. "Sounds like it'll take you getting into some bat thief."

I disappeared from view, ready to sneak back, hearing Charmy whining as I left: "Can I be the one keeping an eye on and getting into Rouge…"

Immature and rough around the edges as they were, those were my boys. Working as I did we often had to split up, and I did miss them, even their crass comments about women. Truth was, I didn't care much for sleeping with the attractive woman. I knew she was just with me to get information, and I was doing the same with her. It was a mutual relationship of convenience, and I think we were both smart enough to know that. Question was, who would get what they needed first?

* * *

 _(Later…)_

 **SONIC**

Mystic Ruins. Not quite sure what lead my feet to the jungle today, but here I was. Guess I have a knack for finding adventure no matter where I go. This place was pretty cool, though. Some old buildings, but mostly abandoned for trees and branches to grow over. I'd been here enough times that I could find the paths through the jungle blindfolded. So when something felt different, I knew it. Another path had been cut through the jungle, leaving weird holes here and there in the ground.

Huh. Who else was out here today? I'd seen explorers and such before, but the random holes were throwing me off. I followed the trail through the east side of the jungle, weaving in and out of the tree line. Was this some kind of mole? Or a badnik? Or -

Well, there was my answer. I spied a red dude I'd never seen before - he didn't quite look like a hedgehog, as his spines were flattened and hung like dreadlocks. He also had gigantic hands and was burrowing into the ground. There was my hole digger. I zoomed in front of his path and paused, crossing my arms as I sized him up.

"Lookin' for somethin'?"

The digger paused, his eyes wide as a deer as he stared at me.

"Hey pal, never seen you around before. I'm Sonic the Hedgehog, who're you?"

He tried to run, but of course I caught up to him immediately, running backwards as I got in his way. He just glared at me.

"Outta my way."

"Just wondering what you're looking for."

"It's none of your business."

"Ya know, I've been finding a lot of these shiny things lying around. Could it be one of these?" I tempted him with the sparkling green object in my hand. He immediately lunged for it, but I sidestepped, chuckling. "Too slow."

He quickly regained his balance, shaking a fist at me. "That doesn't belong to you. Give it here."

"You sayin' it's yours? How do I know yer tellin' the truth?"

"I don't know who you think you are, but that emerald shard is worth more than anything you've ever held before. I'm Knuckles the Echidna, the Guardian of the Master Emerald. So give it to me…" He shook his fist at me. "...or I'll take it from you."

I smirked, not about to turn down a challenge. I slipped the emerald back into my glove. "Heh, you want it? Come get it."

I dashed away from the echidna, grinning as he gave chase. I weaved in and out of the trees, zooming through the familiar rural playground. There was no way I was going to let this Knuckles dude catch me, but I'd make a fun game out of taunting and avoiding him while I could. I hadn't had this much fun in ages! Knuckles wasn't fast, but I could tell he knew this jungle, taking shortcuts even I didn't know about. Strange I hadn't seen him before today… either way he was a worthy opponent. And he didn't get close to taking whatever this shiny emerald was.

Of course, with me out here breaking the sound barrier and making tons of noise, it soon drew the attention of GUN. Their giant battle ships came blaring into the jungle, bright searchlights and loudspeakers interrupting our skirmish.

I stopped, kicking up dirt and mud, and Knuckles came to a halt beside me. "GUN." He growled.

"I'm not a fan either." I nodded at him.

Knuckles quickly looked side to side, dodging behind a tree to hide from the ship lights. "They can't find me. Keep the Emerald for now, Sonic. But next time we meet I am taking it from you."

"Hey, where you going?" I demanded, but the echidna buried into the ground, leaving barely any dirt displaced. I only had a moment to admire his handiwork before the searchlights found my position. I cursed as the GUN ship descended on me. I could just escape, but something kept my feet planted. I'd hear them out, this time. Perhaps they knew something about Knuckles.

"Sonic the Hedgehog, the fastest thing alive! We'd like to offer you the chance of a lifetime!" an unremarkable voice bellowed from the loudspeaker.

"What is this, an annoying internet ad?" I rolled my eyes, tapping my foot. "For the last time, I'm not joining your stupid school!"

"Sonic, this is a school that's all about you. We want you to reach your full potential."

"Now you're a shrink. Either way, blah, blah, blah - " My eyes disappeared into the top of my head.

"We want to help you get faster."

I stopped, but just for a second.

"It's obvious you have a gift, raw ability, but you're rowdy and undisciplined - what you need is a teacher, someone to work with you one-on-one and hone your abilities."

I snorted. "Like hell I need someone to tell me what to do. That's gonna be a hard pass," I waved my left hand in the air with dismissal.

"Maybe for you. But you know someone who would love to study at our school, who keeps sending in applications only for them to be rejected time after time. "

Sudden anger boiled within me. "You lay a hand on Tails - "

"We won't. We'd love to have him study with us since he truly is a prodigy. But I don't think that will happen. The two of you are a package deal after all. Shame. It could be so good for you both. You could get faster, and you could see your best friend achieve his goals… and you could get us off your tail."

Damn, those were good points. It would be nice to not be looking over my shoulder all the time. And that look of disappointment on Tails' face yesterday had hit me harder than I'd expected. If it was true the only thing holding him back was me, well… we couldn't have that could we?

Maybe school was going to suck. But who said I had to stay? I could give Tails his foot in the door, the little dude deserved it.

"Well, when you put it that way…" I jabbed my hand forward, in a gesture to shake hands. "Deal."

A drop door fell down from the GUN ship as if to beckon me inside. I didn't like the thought of making a deal with the devil, but maybe this wouldn't be all bad. I hopped inside, taking just a moment to admire all the high tech equipment, knowing Tails would be geeking out over all this soon enough.

"Next stop, let's pickup my little bro. And then…" I grinned. "Your school is about to become a lot more cool."


End file.
